The Child's Tempest
by LadySith2019
Summary: It seemed to call out to him, beckon him closer. As if it had been made solely for his eyes only. He grasped it with a gloved hand, marveling at its design. There would be no one to stop him, especially not the scavenger girl from Jakku. He would be certain to kill her if their paths ever crossed again.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello all, and welcome to my new story! I've decided to try my hand at a Star Wars fanfic for once, and I hope you enjoy it. For reference, this takes place after Last Jedi and during Rise of Skywalker, though I've changed a lot of what's happened in ROS. As many were, I was unsatisfied with how the plot transpired in the final movie, and so have made the choice of writing what I wish would have happened. I have kept certain plot points and aspects of the movie, but added and replaced much with my own content.**

**I can't guarantee how quickly I'll write, but I do work from home and have plenty of time. I will finish this story! In the meantime, this is only a rough draft that will still go through heavy editing, so bear with me.**

**As always, reviews will be greatly appreciated and be the fuel to the motivation to write more, so please let me know what you think!**

***I do not own Star Wars.**

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Chapter 1

_Burning. The scent filled his nostrils as fiery debris cascaded and floated around him. He took a few paces towards her. Silent. Deliberate._

_"Ben?" she called out, noticing his hesitation. She could see the specks of fire in the darkness-the explosions as the Resistance was being demolished in the vastness of space. Soon, she feared, there would be nothing left of them. _

_She was desperate to stop the destruction, desperate to save her friends._

_He watched as the hope slowly left her features, frustrated that she hadn't changed her mind. She needed to let go of the past. Through labored breaths, he offered his hand. It hovered in the air as he watched her carefully, waiting to see how she would respond. He told her to leave everything behind and to join him, but he could sense her fear. He could see the reluctance that made her form rigid and untrusting._

_"Please," he begged. It would be the last time he would do so. If she refused him, then he would not give her another chance. He would have to kill her._

_She extended her own hand to seemingly reach his, inches away. The prospect of her acceptance caused his heart to flutter in his chest, threatening to escape if he dared to draw a single breath. Instead, it rose and settled as a lump in his throat, like a bird in its cage. He couldn't allow his hope to escape him, especially when it was so close within his grasp._

_They were moments away from a new future, together. Images flashed through his mind as it raced with thoughts that they could create a New Order as leaders of the galaxy. They could change things as they saw fit and do what all of the previous governments could not. They could bring peace and prosperity to the galaxy._

_And she would join him._

_He imagined her clothed in black by his side. A crimson blade would enhance her beauty greatly, and he shuddered at the thought. The adrenaline coursed through his veins as he watched her fingers draw closer. A few inches more and they would be intertwined with his._

_Ren was taken by surprise when his weapon left his side. He watched as she called the lightsaber to her, but his reflexes were quick as he countered her with his own force pull, determined not to be rendered vulerable. He may have been caught off-guard but he would not be defenseless._

_An invisible battle ensued as the hilt was suspended in the air, as if deciding which side it would obey. The explosions could be heard around them as the ship began to take damage, but they ignored the danger surrounding them. It took all of Ren's strength, but he couldn't rip the saber from her grasp. Instead, the weapon gave into the pressure and was severed in half. A blinding light filled his vision and he lost all consciousness._

_A dull ringing grew stronger in his ears. He opened his eyes and glanced around furiously, searching for any nearby threat. But she was gone_

_Hatred formed in his heart and fed his anger as he slowly rose to his feet. If she had only taken his hand then they could have ended this war. But instead, she had betrayed him.._

_He couldn't decide which he despised more-the fact that she had turned against him or the fact that he had been foolish enough to ever propose such an offer._

A red horizon painted across Kylo Ren's vision, matching the boiling blood in his veins as he weaved through the forest of Mustafar. His fury ignited a fire that gave him strength and focus as he lunged at an enemy, driving the unstable blade of his red lightsaber into the chest of his victim. He grabbed the man's shoulder and pulled the saber from his body as he watched it fall lifeless to the ground. Without hesitation, he spun around and took the life of yet another person who had stood in his way.

The beads of perspiration fell from his brow; the cry of exertion that escaped his lips as he fought would have made even the bravest of warriors tremble with fear. He was a feral animal as he held the quivering blade in front of his face, daring anyone to step closer.

Ren's arm made contact with a stomach, heaving the guardian into the air before slamming him to the ground in one swift motion. Spinning the red blade, he plunged it deep into the man's sternum. Strands of dark hair had loosened and now clung desperately to his face.

His head snapped to the left when he heard footsteps drawing closer. He ripped the blaster from the man's grasp with the Force and threw it further into the thicket of trees. He severed the man's torso with minimal effort.

He straightened up and knew that the threat had been exterminated. Panting heavily, he relished in the scene of bodies around him. It was his power that brought about the death around him, and he was proud. The Alazmec Colonist inhabitants never stood a chance and had, one by one, all been defeated.

A large part of him hoped that what had transpired on that planet would be spread throughout the galaxy as a warning to those who dared stand against him.

Upon exiting the grove, his eyes settled upon the ruins that he had seeked. The domineering architecture stood tall and narrow in the sky and rested on the edge of a cliff. Lava flowed in a thick river, weaving its way around Fortress Vader. Steam escaped from every crevice in the ground.

The red glow reflected off of the helmets of Ren's Knights, who rejoined his side.

"Guard the doors," he ordered in a deep voice. "Kill any survivors."

He motioned for them to move ahead of him, but he knew that there was no sign of remaining life around them. He had made certain of that.

The blackness of his clothing seemed to suffocate his skin with a burning heat as he approached the rumored Sith haven, but he ignored it. The dark side seemed to grow stronger in him with each step he took, drawing him closer to the walls that had once housed one of the greatest rulers in history. It called to him with a delicious temptation that he could not resist, begging him to step deeper into it.

He had never felt such strength before, and his lips turned upward in a wicked smile. The sensation grew to an almost unbearable level as he wandered the halls. He knew that he had reached his destination and stepped into the room before him.

He circled the ancient obelisk slowly, his mind turning with ways to open it. A flick of the wrist, and he managed to find a hidden compartment. His heart pounded loudly in his ears as he drew closer.

The Sith wayfinder was in view.

It seemed to call out to him, beckoning him to it. It felt as if it had been made for him alone. He grapsed it with a gloved hand, marveling at its design. He knew that what he had been searching for his entire life would be found at its coordinates, and there would be no one to stop him. Especially not the scavenger girl from Jakku.

He would be certain to kill her if their paths ever crossed again.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Focus. Silence. Inhale, then exhale slowly.

Rey hung in the air, her legs crossed as if she were seated. Forearms balancing gently on her knees, she straightened her spine and breathed in the damp forest air. She closed her eyelids tighter, feeling that her efforts were successful.

Around her floated the results of her meditation-rocks of various sizes and weights encircled her in an invisible hold, awaiting her next command.

An image flashed through her mind, disrupting the self-discipline that she had harnessed in her mind, like a tide ripping her out to a violent sea. The breath caught in her throat as she tried not to drown in the memory.

_"Ben!" Han shouted, hoping the name would be enough to allow his son an opportunity to escape from the cage called Kylo Ren._

_Rey didn't need to hear the conversation between father and son to notice Ren's confliction. He could have easily killed Han without hesitation, or he could have walked away. Instead, he stood waiting. He allowed Han to step closer._

_Perhaps Kylo hadn't consumed Ben after all._

_Her heart quickened with hope and anticipation as she watched him remove his helmet. How she wished that she could hear the exchange of words, but she settled on trying to read their expressions. Kylo was struggling in silent contemplation. Han was cautious, uncertain of the response he would receive. Both knew that even the slightest movement could ruin the moment and it would be lost forever._

_Whatever was being said must have made Kylo consider his options. The monster she had known would never have allowed the older man to approach him, let alone consider his pleas. He would have been dead by now._

_The loud thud! of his helmet hitting the metal bridge filled the air, jolting Rey with shock. Was this his surrender? She couldn't peel her gaze away from him. Her eyes widened when he unclipped his lightsaber. She was worried that he was going to use it against Han, and she searched her surroundings for the closest means of getting to the lower level. But she knew that it would be too late, so she watched, helpless._

_Kylo did the unthinkable-he offered the hilt to his father. Was there enough love left in him that could possibly be stronger than the darkness? Would this be his return to the light?_

_Han placed his hand on the weapon and offered for his son to come home. He was ready to welcome him back with open arms._

_Rey's mind raced to process what happened next as the blade roared to life and pierced the torso of Solo._

_"No!" the scream escaped her lips without a thought as his life was taken in an instant, his body falling to the depths of darkness._

Rey was reminded of the present when she began to fall. Frantic, she reached around herself with urgency and despair, as if she could find something that would stop her descent. She instinctively placed her hands in front of her and softened the blow, landing on her side with enough velocity that it would still leave its mark in the form of a bruise. The rocks followed suit, landing on the ground around her.

A reminder that she had failed.

"You must learn to quiet your thoughts. Focus only on the present, here and now."

Rey glanced up from the forest floor to see the glowing blue figure of Master Skywalker looking patiently down upon her. She quickly rose to her feet, brushing off the moss and dirt that would be sure to stain the whiteness of her clothes.

With an exasperated sigh, she placed her hands on her hips and gazed off into the distance, still lost in the remnants of her thoughts.

"The thought entered my mind so quickly and was too disturbing for me not to think of," she admitted sheepishly.

"Your thoughts dwell on Han Solo," Skywalker stated more than asked. She nodded grimly.

"I keep replaying his death over and over again, wishing that I had been able to stop it. To see Kylo for the monster that he is."

"Now is not the time to think of such things. Distraction will not result in victory. Remember that you can't change the past and you must center yourself in the present," he explained with gentleness.

"I'm sorry, Master Skywalker," she replied. "I will try harder."

"Rey...you must also know within yourself that there was nothing that could be done. You couldn't have stopped him," he added.

Rey glanced down at her feet, unwilling to admit that he was right. She had heard the stories of the Empire and how Master Skywalker had defeated the Emperor with the help of his father, Darth Vader. She once strongly believed that if one of the most evil and feared men in the galaxy could be redeemed, then so could Ben return.

But the man that she had seen on Takodana wasn't Ben. He was a feral animal, eager to take the lives of others. If he could destroy his own flesh and blood, then he would not hesitate to exterminate those who stood in his way.

Despite seeing Han's death, she had still offered Ren another chance. He had defeated his master and reignited the hope in her heart that there was still good in him. He could have saved the remainder of the Resistance and helped her end the war.

But she had learned quickly that Kylo Ren's hold was too strong and wouldn't allow Ben to resurface. She had felt the pain of his betrayal as he spoke of establishing a New Order and ruling the galaxy once again.

Ben no longer existed.

She had been willing to give him an opportunity to redeem himself, but now it was long gone. There wouldn't be another. If she ever crossed paths with him again, she was determined to end his evil hold of the First Order.

He would die by her hand.


	2. Chapter 2

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Ch. 2

Her legs burned with a pain that threatened to cripple her. Her muscles ached with each step she took, but she had to keep running. She had no time to stop.

She had reached the point where only the sound of her breaths and her pulse beating rapidly in her ears could be heard; all else was drowned out by focus. The sweat of exertion rolled down her temples as she went wherever her feet would carry her. It was as if her body was making every decision before her mind had time to process her surroundings; her reflexes commanded that she catch a branch above her and swing herself over a fallen tree in a matter of seconds, before sprinting further into the thick foliage of her training course.

She grabbed her weapon from the brown leather belt wrapped tightly around her thin frame and ignited it. The blue blade roared to life as she twisted in various directions to fend off the onslaught of lasers emitting from the Marksman-H Training Remote that followed her. The droid circled her, then retracted its movements in an attempt to confuse her, but she could sense its every shot.

She carried herself faster through the forest, further and further away, but it was quick. At times she would glance behind herself to see if she had progressed in the distance, but then she was immediately reminded of the approaching ledge before her. Her feet halted, sliding in the terrain, mere inches from the edge of a cliff. A brief glance down and she could see the deep canyon of jungle in front of her.

Instinct told her to cross the log that connected the two pieces of land together in one long stretch. She balanced her every step, successfully warding off the incessant attacks from the hovering orb. In a quick moment, she had reached safety. She waved a hand to shut the droid off, satisfied with the results of the day. Gazing into the horizon, she could see the majority of the course that she had finished twice that afternoon. The resistance base bustled with life in the distance, and she could imagine that General Organa would be pleased with her progress.

As she slowly made her way back to the course entrance where her cloth bag lay abandoned hours prior, her stomach growled its reminder that the day was drawing to a close and required sustainence. The sun was beginning to set and she decided that the solitude of her room was appealing to her. It was a forty-five minute walk back to the base, and she knew that the hunger would fatigue her to the point of exhaustion. She would need to rest before undertaking the journey, even if she wanted to continue to push herself physically.

_A Jedi acknowledges limitations and remains balanced_, she thought to herself.

She practically inhaled the ration packet from her bag, and though it had been bland and unappetizing, she was so accustomed to the meager food options of Jakku that it didn't bother her. Besides, she had been far too hungry to care and her eyes were glued to the pages of the book in her hands, distracted. She seated herself on a nearby stump to further absorb the information.

For months she had studied the Ancient Jedi Texts, pouring herself into their pages. With the help of Master Skywalker, she was able to slowly decipher them. Each book contained useful information on the ways of the Jedi, how to harness and improve different force abilities, and the biographies of those who came before her, and while she often enjoyed reading their secrets for hours, she was now searching for some particular information. At least one of the books that she had rescued from Ach-To must have it, she was sure of it.

_Rey had been meditating in her room when she had felt a sinister presence. Her eyes fluttered open, but she could see nothing out of the ordinary. And then she heard it. A deep voice that rendered her immobile and sent shivers through her spine._

_"At last the work of generations is complete. The great error is corrected," he said. This was not a voice that she recognized, but it captured her attention with its malevolent undertones. "The day of victory is at hand. The day of revenge. The day of the Sith!"_

_The warning echoed in her mind and she realized that she had forgotten to breathe. Though Snoke had been defeated, the gravity of the situation hit her hard. This was someone else, something else. And she had the feeling that it was far more threatening than anything she had ever encountered before._

While Darth Sidious had been mentioned throughout the texts, she was looking for anything that could explain his return. Though fear had crept into her mind often at the thought, she knew that she needed to find him. She knew that the chaos that his broadcast had caused, the utter terror that swept throughout the galaxy, could never be at peace until he was dead.

She was reading Luke's account of all that had transpired during the Empire's reign when she felt a presence nearby, watching her. It was somehow familiar, yet...darker. She immediately rose to her feet, a chill swept through her body that reached the end of her fingertips. She knew who it was.

Kylo Ren.

He lunged at her before she could ignite her own weapon. Her eyes widened and she stumbled backward, desperate to escape the impending attack while her brain raced to catch up with the situation. With as many times as they had been connected before, he had never taken action against her, and she mentally chided herself that she hadn't foreseen his actions. His swing barely missed her torso, instead; it caught her shoulder with a seering _hiss!_ Rey gasped in pain, clutching at the wound.

Shock written across her feminine features, she eyed him dangerously. The frustration of her momentary weakness threatened to boil over into anger, and she knew that she needed to reign in her emotions. He raised his saber to strike her again and without hesitation, she called her blue blade to her hand, mustering as much strength as she could to stop his attack. The lightsabers crackled from contact. Her hazel eyes reflected the color of her Jedi weapon as she glared at the black beast before her. She released the grip of her left hand and, in a matter of a second, had pushed him far away from her with the force. She closed her eyes tightly, willing him to disappear.

()()()()()()

The red saber hummed as Ren stood, panting. He could feel the heat of the blade so close to his face as it illuminated the blackened room by casting crimson hues on his surroundings. He always preferred to train in complete darkness, relishing in the fact that he must rely entirely on the force to guide his every move where his sight could not.

Out of the corner of his vision, he saw the laser fired into the open air. He spun his body quickly to counter it with his blade. Another, this time from the opposite direction. The two droids fired so rapidly that his energy was spent when it was finished an hour later. He knew that they were mere heaps of parts by now and he raised his black tunic to his face, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He was eager to continue the physicality of his training through various exercises and equipment.

That's when he felt someone near him. No subordinate of his would ever be foolish enough to dare disturb him, else they face the same consequences of the various walls and equipment that he had often destroyed in a fit of rage. No, he knew that the door had been locked before he had even begun his training. He knew that only one person was capable of reaching him now.

The scavenger.

He smiled darkly; how he had been waiting for this moment! As he turned to face her, he swung his saber mercilessly, hoping to make contact. Her reflexes were skilled enough that she had sidestepped him quickly, but not fast enough to avoid injury. The blade burned a large gash into her left shoulder; the scorching flesh filled his nose with a scent that he had long enjoyed. Her surprise was mirrored in his own features as he realized that he had been successful in his attempt; until this point only conversation had ensued, and he was astonished that he could actually cause her physical harm through the connection.

Perhaps he wouldn't need to track her down and find her, after all. This meant that he could end her life at his choosing. It would be all too easy.

She grasped her pained shoulder with a grimace. He watched her fervently, the adrenaline of what he had done now urging him to partake in more violence. He observed the determined expression on her face, but what else? Was that a hint of...rage? His smile returned.

_It looks like the little Jedi can't control her emotions, after all_, he mused.

He raised his weapon above his head, ready to strike again. To end this. To end her. Before he could follow through, she had parried his attack with her blue saber. Their faces only inches from the hissing blades, he licked his lips in satisfaction; he could see how much he had angered her.

Suddenly, her hand coiled and he was pushed into an encompassing darkness. He could feel the coldness of the air as he was left alone in the training room once again. His disappointment could hardly be relieved as he thought of how close he had come to killing her. The thought of being moments away was enough to drive him wild with a fiery ire. Desperate to confront her again, he closed his eyes and focused, reaching through the force to find her essence. He allowed thoughts of her to fill his mind, hoping that he would sense her presence somewhere.

Ah, there she was.

He masked his force signature and touched the bond gently, hoping to manipulate her into thinking that there was no threat. He willed it to open and reveal her to him once more. But he felt resistance. He withdrew momentarily, confused. How could she refuse him? How did she have the capability of sealing her side of the bond shut?

Then he raked his mental claws against her defenses, intent on tearing away a barrier. He ripped at every angle that he could think of, waiting for purchase. Without warning, he received a mental blow that severed the connection entirely, his mind unable to find her again. He was forced into the present, into the training room once again.

He growled in anger, his jaw clenched tightly. He could feel his rage swelling, igniting every muscle in his body. He unleashed it onto the nearby equipment, the walls, anything that his lightsaber could tear into. He could swear that he almost felt the room quake with fear.

She had blocked him. She-an insignificant _nobody_-had managed to overpower him!

He would have to train harder. He was determined to envelop himself further into the dark side, to study the ancient sith powers more thoroughly than ever before. He knew exactly where he could do such a thing: the sith cave that was the foundation of his grandfather's abode. Yes, he knew that he could draw immense power by meditating in such a place.

But first, he needed to answer the call that was Darth Sidious. And he knew exactly where to find him.

()()()()()

Rey gasped, searching the air for any sign of the monster she had just seen. Had she really been able to somehow sever their bond? She clutched the hilt of her lightsaber, listening for any sound that might give away his hiding place. But she felt nothing.

And then a touch in her mind-gentle, soothing. Its soft strokes called to her, persuaded her to open up the bond to him. But she knew better. She knew that it was a lie, a manipulation to catch her weakness. She knew that he wanted her death.

She focused her willpower on pushing that touch away. And it worked! She felt him leave her. A moment's reprieve and she wondered if had finally given up. And then it came-a sharp pain in her temples as he searched for a weakness in her barrier. She gasped, cradling her head in her hands, wishing the pain would disappear. His mind tore at her own, hoping for release. She felt the anger rise within her, felt the electricity reach her fingertips, and with it she gathered her mental strength to push him out. She felt the immediate relief as the invisible vice around her mind had released.

She knew that she couldn't hold out for long. Instinct had gotten her this far, but without the knowledge of exactly what she was doing, she knew that time was running out and her wall of mental defenses would not be able to withstand much more. Not to mention, acting on pure emotion was not the Jedi way, and she did not want to suffer the consequences of using the dark side.

She determined to ask Master Skywalker to train her in mental barriers at the next opportunity. She would push herself harder each day of her training. If her body was exhausted after two laps, then she would do three. She would not rest until she felt that her strength could match Kylo Ren's power. It was her only chance if their sabers were to meet again.

If she didn't, she knew that she would die.


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm trying VERY hard to write longer chapters, and it worked for this one! I'll definitely have to go back and add more into the previous chapters and rewrite a few things. It's tempting to just keep editing everything because I'm never satisfied with my writing. I decided to stop and just release this rough draft so that you guys don't have to wait. **

**Reviews would greatly help me! I struggle with being motivated to continue and it would help to know what you think so far. :)**

**Thank you so much, bethrodrigues358 for the kind words!**

Ch. 3

With eyes closed, Rey felt herself hovering above the floor of her humble sleeping quarters. Cross-legged and hands folded in her lap, she was connected with her surroundings. She quieted her thoughts and focused on the balance that she felt within and all around her that was the force. She could feel the gentle breeze in the forest, see the blades of grass sway to follow it. She could hear the songs of birds as they weaved among the trees, see the Zymods and other lizards change color to blend in with their environment. She could feel every living creature on the moon of Ajan Kloss that served as the Resistance base, including the various beings who scurried busily throughout it.

Rey centered on the feeling of the force flowing through her; she let it calm her nerves and ease her muscles into relaxation. _This is tranquility...this is the force_, she chanted the mantra in her mind.

She drew in a deep breath and was reminded of her wounded shoulder by the piercing pain. Though it had been over a week, it still bothered her. Many bacta patches and a little force healing had reduced the gaping wound to a scar, but the muscles beneath still rebelled against her body with soreness.

Shame crept back into her mind and made its residence there as an inhibiting shadow upon recollection of the attack. Not only had she been naive enough to think that there was no physical danger through their connection and was therefore caught by surprise, but the majority of the blame that she placed upon herself was because she had lost her temper with Kylo Ren. Of what use was all of the training that she had accomplished if she could not win the battle of her own thoughts? When he had hurt her-when she could see that he would attack her again without hesitation-it had sparked a fire within her that she knew was wrong to feel. It was more than just defense; she wanted to lash out in vengeance. The reigns of her emotions had loosened, allowing them to slip through the cracks of her composure as they reached out to feed Ren with a glimpse of her inner conflict.

She had wanted nothing more than to retaliate in that moment, to make him suffer for hurting her.

She tightened her closed eyes in self-contempt; she knew that she was far from becoming a true Jedi with such thoughts. She could never imagine her great Jedi predecessors struggling with similar feelings, let alone ever having them to begin with. No, the Jedi of old always preached of self-discipline and balance. So why was it so difficult for her to follow the same course?

Then she remembered what Master Skywalker had recounted of the night in which his Jedi Temple was destroyed. His fear for the darkness in his nephew caused him to go to Ben's room that night instead of exercising patience by helping the boy to rid the dark side within him. He could sense the black stain inside of Ben's soul and feared it enough to instinctively ignite his lightsaber, and it had been too late to correct his actions. Acting on Luke's impulsive emotions had come at great cost to the galaxy and caused the birth of Kylo Ren.

Still, she reminded herself that Luke's fear was only for the greater good-that even though he made a grave error, he was doing it in defense of the galaxy. Certainly he never wished harm on anyone out of revenge the way that she had wanted to hurt Ren. She couldn't justify her actions through Master Skywalker's experiences.

Rey's mind wandered over what she knew of Anakin Skywalker; how he had been the foremost example of what unconquered emotion and lack of self-control could do to a person. His lust for vengeance distorted him into someone that his former master could hardly recognize, twisting his very being inside of him until Darth Vader had taken its place. While Anakin had initially rationalized that his intentions were good-that he was trying to save the woman he loved-he had allowed the taste of power and the greed for more to consume him.

Rey's brows furrowed with concern. She could not let her emotions control her; she couldn't allow her toes to dip into the waters of the dark side, for fear that she wouldn't be able to stop herself from delving into its depths until she could no longer see the surface.

"_To answer power with power, the Jedi way is not_," she remembered Yoda's words inscribed in one of the Jedi texts. "_In this war, a danger there is, of losing who we are_."

Who she was and what she was fighting for would be placed at the forefront of her mind. She would never give Ren the satisfaction of seeing her fall to the dark side.

"You remain distracted, Rey," she heard the familiar voice of her master. "Learn to let go of the past. If you allow anger to enter your thoughts, then you are giving the dark side an opportunity to taint your mind and your meditation will quickly transform into something you won't recognize. It would be difficult to release its grip in such a vulnerable state of mind."

He went on to recount how, through meditating, a person must open themselves up to the force and clear the mind to allow its energy to permeate the body. In such a defenseless state, any unhindered thought could tip the scales in favor of the darkness, and once a person has had a taste it was difficult to not want more. Any meditation of the dark side could burrow inside of her and wait for the opportune time to release itself in other moments in her life, even if she wasn't intending on it.

Rey opened her eyes and floated to the ground, watching as the blue form of her master stared back at her. "It's difficult to focus when I feel fear."

"Why are you afraid?" Luke asked.

She sighed in disappointment. "I'm afraid that all of this training is for nothing; that I won't have the strength to defeat Kylo Ren and the Emperor. I'm worried that the Resistance isn't big enough to win this war. I'm afraid that Kylo could find me through our connection at any moment. I know that I shouldn't be afraid of all of these things, but I am."

"Every Jedi feels fear," Skywalker replied. "It is a Jedi's calling to face that fear."

"I'm not ready. I need more training," she stated, uncertain of her future. "How can I keep him out of my head?"

Luke slowly walked over to the bench in her room and sat, deep in thought. Rey watched his ethereal glow with patience and silence, hoping to gleam any knowledge from him that she could. She was determined to learn more and to conquer this.

"You must be confident in your abilities; do not shy away from danger. The moment you doubt yourself, you're allowing opportunity for defeat. If you hesitate in battle from self-doubt, then you are giving your enemy the advantage to strike against you."

She nodded her head in acknowledgement, listening attentively to every word. She wanted more than anything to rid herself of these worries. The galaxy was depending upon her.

"But overconfidence in one's power leads to destruction. My father was overconfident, unwilling to humble himself and to accept counsel and guidance," he added. When he could see her expression soften and her body visibly relax, he continued, "This force bond that you share with Ren is very rare; there hasn't been a dyad in so long that not much is known of them. I'm not even sure how it came about."

Rey's demeanor visibly sagged. How was she to conquer something of which her master knew nothing about? And why did she have to share this bond with Kylo Ren, of all people?

"I can't teach you much in that respect, but I can help you to protect your mind. A dyad isn't needed for other force-users to use telekenesis-you know this when Ren was able to interrogate his prisoners by entering their thoughts. Fortunately, many Jedi have learned to shield their minds from others, and I _can_ help you in this way."

"Teach me," she said eagerly. She was desperate to keep that monster out of her head. "What do I do?"

"You must construct a mental fortress, if you will. Picture it in your mind. Is it a castle? A home? Where is a place that you have felt safe? In control of your own welfare?"

Rey thought of all of the places in which she had visited over the last few years. While the lightsaber had first called to her in the castle on Takodana, she also had bitter memories of that planet. She had been captured and interrogated by Kylo Ren, and then later battled him in the forest. She could still see the red blade slice the length of Finn's back, and she shuddered.

D'Qar had been home to the old resistance base, and she remembered Leia's words of comfort and wisdom. "_You're not alone; you're part of something bigger, now_," she had told her. Those were the words that Rey had always wanted to hear during her lonely existance of a childhood, and they had been spoken by a woman who she viewed as a parental figure in a way. But she had decided that D'Qar also couldn't be her safeplace, remembering the sadness that she had felt as the crowd rejoiced around her. Starkiller Base had just been destroyed, but she knew that her quest wasn't over. She knew that she couldn't rest. She felt the pull of fate as she left to search for Luke.

On Ach-To, she had begun her training in the force, learned from a teacher whose abilities she could only aspire to. Seeing the ocean for the first time was something that she could never forget, as well. The waves seemed to lull her into a soothing serenity that could only belong to being near the sea. But the island was Luke's residence, not hers.

Where was 'home'? From the moment that she had left the desert planet of Jakku, she was never allowed a moment to think of such an idea, instead; she had been hurled into one situation after another. She was either running for her life or defending herself against attack. Even in the absence of immediate danger, she was training and preparing for an upcoming battle that she wasn't certain she could win. Survival mode dictated every decision in her life, even the day-to-day tasks, never knowing when a threat would present itself. She couldn't dare think of the future or what she wanted out of life, only taking one day at a time. How could she think of having a home?

"Jakku," she blurted out. She cleared her throat, deciding not to take back what she said. "_The Hellhound Two_."

Her existence on her home planet was by no means one of safety, let alone one that could bring her peace. She imagined that her answer seemed absurd. How could one feel at home while never knowing when or where her next meal would come? She had to learn to survive, fight to stay alive. Scavenging was certainly no easy occupation, and Unkar Plutt was a harsh and unyielding employer.

But, her life was simpler. There was no resistance to worry about, no knowledge of the force and threat of the dark side, no pressure to rid the galaxy of evil. She could shield herself from her worries inside of the AT-AT that had become her sanctuary, the _Hellhound Two_. Often times, it had saved her life from the impending doom of a sandstorm. She took solace in the privacy of her small home and the knowledge that she only had herself to take care of, instead of the entire galaxy on her shoulders.

While it wasn't a home or place of safety, it was the closest that she could think of.

Luke nodded anyway. "Good. Now, close your eyes and imagine you're in the AT-AT. See the details of the interior in your mind. Picture yourself inside of it."

Rey recreated the scene in her mind; the fallen machinery that had become her haven, the bed that she had slept on soft and warm. She saw the rusting metal walls that held shelves of her trinkets over the years.

"Think of being inside of that AT-AT, away from the dangers outside. You're safe."

"I'm safe," she repeated softly. She was curled up in the security of her hammock, listening to the gusting wind, the granules of sand pelting the metal barriers. She felt a warming comfort flood her mind and body, spreading throughout every fiber of her being. It traveled down, down, through her torso, arms and fingertips. Down her legs and to the tips of her toes. It was inviting, invigorating, replenishing her mental clarity and determination.

"If ever someone tries to enter your mind, recall this image, this moment," Luke urged.

()()()()()

Rey was seated at her desk, book in-hand. Though she couldn't hear much outside of the walls of her room, her head snapped up and she glanced at the door. She knew that the _Milennium Falcon _had just landed and she could sense her friends' arrival. She rushed outside, weaving among the plants and people. BB-8 chirped his excitement and trailed behind her.

"Finn!" she exclaimed happily once she had spotted him on the hill. The two ran to each other and she was caught up in a warm embrace with the first person she had ever considered to be her friend. Pulling back, she placed her hands on his shoulders and grinned. "I missed you!"

"Rey, I have so much to tell you, I-"

"Hey," Poe Dameron interrupted as he approached them. "We really could've used your help out there," he said to her. He wiped the sweat and grime from his forehead, noticing the whiteness of Rey's tunic, pants, and tabards. He knew that she had stayed behind to help the Resistance, but not even a grass stain could be found on her. How much help could she be if she couldn't even get her hands dirty? What had she been doing, anyway?

"She was training," Finn replied defensively, as if reading Poe's thoughts. He shot the man a firm glare, hoping that his friend would ease the tension and drop the subject.

"I know, I know," Poe replied, running his fingers through his hair in annoyance. "It's just...she's our best fighter. She belongs out there."

Rey looked down, uncertain as to what to say. Luckily, Poe was called away by a comrade before a response could be made.

"Don't listen to him," Finn said, sensing her disappointment. "He doesn't know the ways of the force." He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder for reassurance, and she winced from the contact. "What happened?" he immediately withdrew his touch after seeing the long, thick scar on her ivory skin.

Rey glanced down at her shoulder, as if she had forgotten what he was talking about. "Oh, it's nothing."

"It looks like _something_," Finn replied, unsatisfied. "Did someone hurt you? Was it Kylo?" he asked. He grew concerned; he hadn't heard of the new Supreme Leader making an appearance on the resistance base. Why would he have come here?

Rey opened her mouth to respond, but they were reminded of the urgency of an announcement requesting everyone to meet inside. General Organa was calling for a meeting to assess the results of the Falcon's voyage.

"Promise to tell me later," he insisted. His eyes refused to leave her.

"I promise," she agreed.

"Somehow, Palpatine has returned," Poe announced to the crowd. Numerous gasps and whispers could be heard throughout the room. He went on to explain how they had gathered the intel from reputable sources, saying how the broadcast had proven to be true. The Emperor was, indeed, alive. He and whatever followers he had gathered would certainly be planning an attack, but they weren't sure when or how.

"There's rumor of a spy that could help us...give us what we need to find the Sith's location," Poe turned to Leia. "With your permission, I'd like to take a crew out to find this spy. It's only a matter of time until Palpatine reveals himself and what he's planning."

Leia nodded solemnly and scanned the group for willing faces. "I agree. We'll meet back here once everyone's settled tonight and come up with a plan," she dismissed the people. Turning to Poe, she added, "You leave tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow?" Poe asked, surprised. He tried to keep his voice down as the crowd dispersed, not wanting anyone to hear his disagreement. "With all due respect, General, we need to leave tonight. Every minute could be our advantage."

Leia would have typically been exasperated by his impatience, but this time she relented. His fiery determination was exactly the kind of attitude that the resistance needed in the fight against the former Emperor. She would not argue that they must discover his intentions quickly, however; she only hoped that it wouldn't be too late. "Very well. Gather supplies and notify your crew."

Poe nodded, a smile of satisfaction played upon his lips. "You're coming with us this time, right?" he turned to Rey.

"She needs to stay here. She hasn't completed her training," Leia interjected.

"To hell with her training-we need her out there! If we're searching for the Emperor's whereabouts, then you can bet that Kylo Ren is, too!" he threw his hands up in frustration.

Rey looked to Leia, unsure of what to say. A part of her wanted to go with her friends, to help them gather the information that they needed, to be there to protect them should the occasion arise. But she wasn't ready to end her training. She wasn't ready to face Kylo just yet.

Either way, she would obey whichever decision that the General would make for her.

"She's staying here, and that's the end of it," Leia replied sternly. Poe couldn't mask his irritance from her, refusing to end the conversation even when the General had already moved on to collecting various papers and plans.

"You can't convince me that lifting pebbles will contribute more to the cause than being out on the battlefield!" Poe crossed his arms defensively. BB-8 turned his head to gaze back and forth between the soldier and the Jedi. It didn't take sentience to know that there was tension.

"I need to stay," Rey repeated. She could see him roll his eyes, and she was quick to defend herself. "You know what he is capable of, how he can enter people's minds. I need to learn how to shut him out if I am to defeat him."

"Great," Poe complained, "so you're fine with _us_ going out there and risking another run-in with him and our brains turning to mush, just as long as he's not in _your _mind?"

Rey felt her jaw tighten in irritation, but she held her tongue. She wouldn't give into the urge to retaliate in anger, instead; she let out a shaky breath. "He _has _been in my mind, and he's going to continue to try to contact me until I can keep him out," she stated as-a-matter-of-factly. Confusion and surprise spread across the mens' faces.

"What do you mean he's been in your mind?" Poe asked, placing his hands on his hips.

"Kylo gave you that scar, didn't he?" Finn asked, ignoring his friend's question. "How did he come here without wiping out the Resistance?"

"He didn't," Rey replied.

"He didn't give you that scar, or he didn't come here?" Finn pushed.

"He didn't come here; he never even stepped foot on this moon," she responded. Her eyes drifted to the floor, wishing that she didn't have to tell them the details. It was bad enough that she was tethered to the worst person in the galaxy, let alone having to admit it.

Leia continued to search for what she needed to form a plan for that night's meeting, pretending to ignore their conversation as she hovered above a desk and rifled through its drawers. She knew about what had transpired between Kylo and Rey after discussing it with the girl herself, but she also knew that Rey was fully capable of defending herself. Quite frankly, she felt that Dameron needed to be proven wrong by the young Jedi about her lack of involvement in this war.

"Around the time that I was searching for Master Skywalker on Ach-To, Kylo and I were able to...contact each other through the force. At first it was just a glimpse or presence. We could see each other, as if we were in the same room. But then...then we could feel each other's environments...he could feel the rain on Ach-To," Rey explained. She purposefully left out the part where she and Kylo had touched hands, ashamed of what they would say. "It hasn't stopped since then. It turns out that we have a force bond."

"And he hurt you physically?" Poe's eyebrows raised in shock. "He can hurt people from across the galaxy now?"

"You guys have a bond?" Poe asked, incredulously. "What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"It means that she and my son are connected through the force. They can speak to each other, even see each other without being on the same planet," Leia said. "It is something that only the two of them can share; he won't be able to harm anyone else that way."

The two men stared at her, still unbelieving of what they had just heard. Poe was the one to speak his thoughts. "If he can hurt you, then can't you hurt him? Can't you kill him through this connection?"

"I believe I can, yes," Rey replied. "But he's a lot stronger than the last time we saw him. I need to finish my training with Master Skywalker, I...I wasn't expecting Ren to attack me. I didn't know that it was possible before, actually."

"We don't want her going out there unprepared. If Kylo can get into her mind and has this...bond...with her, then he can find ways to manipulate her," Finn rationalized. "We can't let that happen; she's our only hope of destroying the Sith, once and for all."

Poe's arms dropped to his sides and the tension began to melt away. "I see," he cleared his throat, "Sorry I, uh, lashed out at you." He rubbed the back of his head in embarassment, "I can see that you should stay."

"Thank you," Rey replied softly. Poe dismissed himself to make preparations and motioned for his droid to follow.

Once alone, Finn turned to her with a worried expression on his features. "Rey, I don't feel comfortable leaving you if you're in danger."

She gave a weak smile. It warmed her heart to know that she had a friend who cared so much about what happened to her. "I don't like the thought of you leaving, either. You're in danger, too," she countered. "At least if we were together we could protect each other."

"You mean _I_ could protect _you_," he joked, hoping to lighten the mood. "I was a Storm Trooper, after all. I know their weaknesses."

"I wouldn't brag about that if I were you," she laughed. "That would mean that you couldn't even hit a sleeping Bantha with your blaster."

Finn's face wrinkled in mock offense and he gasped. The two laughed, enjoying each other's friendship. A moment of comfortable silence ensued, and she wished that she wouldn't have to part with him again.

"I'll be alright," she assured him. "I found a way to silence the bond temporarily, or at least enough to prevent him from contacting me for now. The best thing that you could do for me would be to go with Poe," she pleaded. "He needs you. Find the spy and the location of the Emperor. By the time you're finished, I'll be ready."

He still wasn't entirely convinced, but he knew that he couldn't win the argument.

"We'll see each other again soon. I promise," she added, hugging him and saying her goodbye. She watched as his figure reluctantly disappeared into the distance. Leia turned to her with papers held closely to her chest, having watched the exchange the whole time.

"You're doing the right thing. They'll see it, soon enough," she assured her.

Rey sighed and rubbed her aching temples. "I hope so," she said.

She felt the hand of the older woman squeeze her own gently. "No decision made in behalf of the Resistance is easy or without sacrifice." She remembered the many sacrifices she, herself, had made for the Rebellion. In hindsight, it seemed that she had given much of her life up in favor of the New Republic, even allowing her personal relationships to suffer. But, it was what needed to be done.

"You called him your son...do you really think that Ben is still in there?" Rey asked.

Leia gave a weak smile. "I know he is."

Rey forced herself to smile back, but there was a sadness in her eyes. She wasn't so sure that she felt the same optimism.

()()()()()

Master Skywalker had consistantly encouraged Rey to write her experiences down in a journal, just as the Jedi before her had done, but after an hour of doing so she found that she could no longer stifle her yawns. Her muscles were weighed down from the exertions of the day and her vision strained against the dim lighting of her room. She closed the book and sighed.

Though her room was small, it had contained everything that she could need-a desk and chair, a bench, a bed. There was even a small refresher attached, which had pleased her greatly. She wasn't used to being able to rinse off and get clean whenever she wanted, and she loved how the hot water felt on her skin.

The day's events played through her mind as she laid in bed, waiting for sleep to envelop her. She had progressed well in her training and felt much better in her abilities to keep Kylo out of her mind, especially since there hadn't been an incident since she was injured. She must have been doing something right, at least.

Skywalker had watched her practice her lightsaber techniques, helping her to see which form best suited her small frame. He taught her how to expend as little energy as possible while fighting, tucking her arms in and keeping her limbs close to her body. This would not only wear out her opponent faster, but she could be ready to defend vital areas of her person from damage. Luke had also been able to tell her which forms his former nephew favored, telling her of the moves that he had repeated at times. If she could maintain control of her emotions, something of which Kylo clearly failed to do, then she could prove to be more skilled in combat than him.

Rey smiled to herself, proud of her accomplishments and drifted off into slumber.

_"Mom, look at what I made!" an excited boy of five called out. His ebony hair was combed neatly to the side, and he was still dressed in his school clothes, having just returned home for the day._

_Leia continued her conversation on the holocam, focused intently on the council member before her. They had been discussing a matter of urgency in regards to the New Republic, and as Senator, she couldn't ignore her duty._

_"Mom!" Ben whined, tugging at the navy fabric of his mother's blouse._

_"Excuse me, Chancellor," she turned to the young boy with a stern look. "Ben, honey, I'm a little busy right now. Can you show me later?"_

_"But I wanna show you now," he begged, holding out a folded piece of paper. He was eager for her to open it. After all, he had painted it for her._

_"Mommy has to work," she repeated, turning away from him to look back at the holocam. "Tell T-2LC to get you some dinner."_

_Ben tugged softly on her shirt again, but she ignored him. She and the Chancellor resumed their somewhat heated debate, unaware of anything else. Ben watched as his mother refused to give him a second glance._

_Defeated, he walked back to his room, still clutching the painting tightly. He threw it onto his desk and collapsed onto his bed with a sigh. The tears came, and he buried his face into his pillow. Never had he felt so alone. Even his toys couldn't console him._

_His head whipped to the side; he thought he heard the front door open. Jumping to his feet, he wiped the tears from his rounded cheeks and ran out of the room._

_"Daddy!" he shouted in the hallway with joy. He stopped abruptly when he saw that it was only the household droid and his smile disappeared quickly._

_Rey watched as the boy's head hung low, her heart feeling the pain that he felt. She knew more than anyone else how it felt to be truly alone, and she wished more than anything that she could have spared him the same suffering that she had endured._

_"Dinner is ready," T-2LC announced to the crestfallen child._

_Rey felt the despair as she watched Ben seat himself at the table and eat alone, wishing that she could reach out and wipe his tears away. Wishing that she could be the company that he so desperately needed._

What she didn't know was that, far off across the galaxy, another person had been sharing the very same dream that night. The man who had lived through that memory.


	4. Chapter 4

**I had great difficult writing this chapter and will need to revise it later. It's too short for my liking so I'll add more. Just thought I'd throw it out there, anyway.**

Ch. 4

The dark figure stood before him. His hand rested on the hilt of the long vibrosword clasped at his belted waist and the light reflected off of his black and silver helmet. He stared intently at Kylo Ren.

"I wish to accompany you, Supreme Leader," Vicrul stated in a deep and distorted mechanical voice. His towering presence demanded attention; the leather reptilian cloak that draped off of one shoulder covered the length of his left side, while the other was exposed to show his weapon at all times. "I want to learn more of this Sith Temple."

Ren was pacing back and forth impatiently as he made preparations to leave, racking his mind for anything that he might need on his journey. He stopped abruptly and considered the prospect.

Vicrul was the best of the Knights of Ren, not only because he took initiatives and liberties that others did not, but he had also demonstrated an aptitude in the Force beyond what he had learned before the Jedi Temple fell. He was able to project fear into his opponents and manipulate their thoughts, though his skills required refinement and were left uncontrolled. While he had trained in the use of various weapons, he had chosen to wield a vibroblade with the intention of one day using a lightsaber once again.

Ren knew, however, that Vicrul could never possess enough power to become his apprentice. While he had been a formidable threat, he was too old to gain enough knowledge from training to become much more. Besides, Ren had determined that he would never take an apprentice, anyway. Throughout history and his own personal experience, the Sith had shown that even the most powerful of them couldn't trust their allies. They were always betrayed in the end, and he simply refused to risk such an occurence.

"You will stay," Ren announced. "When the time is right, I will take you to Exegol."

Vicrul nodded once and dismissed himself just as General Hux had approached them.

"What's taking so long?" Ren exclaimed angrily. He had wanted to leave by now.

"I don't think that going to Exegol right now is the best-"

Kylo's hands balled into fists at his sides and he glared dangerously at the red-haired man before him. His temper dared his inferior to utter one more word of protest and suffer the consequences.

"S-Supreme Leader," Hux stuttered, noting how the ire seemed to radiate off of Ren, "It's just...we should be searching for the Resistance Base-"

In an instant, the thin-framed man was pushed against the wall of the grated corridor by an invisible force, his shriek of surprise hung in the air as did his body. He clutched his throat, unable to breathe.

Ren hadn't even moved a muscle.

"The Resistance is not our priority. We have something of greater value to search for."

Hux could not respond as he gasped for air, silently pleading with his eyes to be released from the death grip that threatened to render him unconscious at any moment. Ren conceded and the man fell to the floor in a crumpled heap, now coughing as he recovered.

"But-but Sir," his voice cracked, "What about the girl?"

Ren knew that the scavenger was training and grew stronger each day. He could see why she seemed to be a threat to the First Order and why Hux deemed it necessary to hunt her down. But Ren was unmoved.

"You will do nothing about the girl!" Kylo snapped. "When I return, I will kill her myself!" His cloak whipped behind him as he took his leave and stormed towards the hangar bay.

He could easily send a fleet to search for and destroy the Jedi at the Resistance Base, but that wouldn't be satisfying.

He wanted to feel the life drain from her with his own hands.

()()()()()

Ren felt the vibrating tugs of the TIE Silencer as the wayfinder's coordinates led him through a dangerous route to his destination. He weaved through various rocks and debris, maneuvering the ship to avoid disaster, until the dark planet came into view.

Exegol.

Once landed, he stepped out of the fighter and his foot made contact with the barren land, sending a surge of power through his being. He could feel the darkness eminating from this planet's core, begging to marry and become one with his own strength, and he wanted more. This was the moment that he had been waiting for his entire life.

He gazed at the massive structure in front of him-the ancient Sith temple. He imagined the former glory of this crumbling citadel and smiled at the thought that he could uncover its secrets. A shiver rolled down his spine and he shuddered with pleasure. Lightning flashed all around him as he made his way towards the chasm that was the entrance, fog drifting beneath the crevices. A scraping, screeching sound filled the air, like claws on metal. He knew that this was raw power.

It would be his for the taking.

As he began his descent deeper into the bastion, he couldn't help but stare in awe at the towering statues that formed columns on either side of the vast space. He recognized the faces of many legendary Sith Lords, even if their likeness was now crumbling before him, etched into the stone and history forever. There was a presence here that fed his hungry soul, and he followed it further into the dark abyss.

"At last," a sinister greeting boomed throughout the stone, rumbling within Ren's chest. His head whipped around, searching for the source of the voice, but he could see no one. He ignited his lightsaber as he took slow and guarded steps deeper into the tunnels, ready to strike at any moment.

"Snoke trained you well."

Ren sneered to himself in contempt. "I killed Snoke! I'll kill you!" He willed the voice to show itself, to face its inevitable fate at the hands of Kylo Ren.

Silence. He wondered if it was all a trap-if this was all but a game and he was the prey-but he continued, anyway. He rounded a corner and jerked his lightsaber forward, prepared to defend himself if necessary. But all he could see were the remains of some sort of labratory; large tanks of green liquid stood, tended by hooded figures; their black cloaks floated behind them as they pressed various buttons and continued on with their occupations as if they hadn't noticed him.

"My boy," Sidious seethed, "_I made Snoke!"_

The breath caught in Ren's throat and he felt the prickling of invisible needles on the back of his neck from the startling revelation. Could this really be true? Had Snoke been a puppet to a grander scheme all along? He felt the fury ignite within his chest and settle as a fever on his cheeks. Had he been used and manipulated his entire life and was never truly in control of his own destiny?

He inched closer to the nearest tank, his eyes widening at what he saw. Various fleshy beings floated inside, twisted and contorted in the small space, but he recognized them immediately.

Snoke.

Ren's body tensed. During the past year, he thought that he had gained the upper hand by defeating his master; he thought that his strength had finally surpassed that of his superior and that he had taken his place as the new Supreme Leader. His animosity grew hot as he realized the deception that he had been so ignorant to believe. Snoke had merely been one of the many clone puppets, and Darth Sidious had been pulling the strings all along.

He circled the tank and glanced around, waiting for his enemy to appear. He would end this, once and for all. Sidious would die.

"The First Order was just the beginning. I will give you so much more!" Sidious said.

"You'll die first," Ren countered with vehemence.

"I've died before," the Emperor replied, unfazed. "The dark side of the force is the pathway to many abilities some consider to be _unnatural_."

Lightning flashed, revealing the malicious face of Sheev Palpatine; his skin mangled as his bruised lips turned upward in a venemous smile. His white irises peered deeply into Ren, as if he could see his very soul. He was a living corpse.

Ren noticed the missing fingers, the bones protruding from disfigured knuckles, and the robotic arm that seemed to be giving life to Sidious as he floated in the air. While Ren began to despise him for twisting his life into a lie, he had to give the Sith Lord credit for surviving thus far.

He wouldn't survive much longer. Kylo would make certain of that.

He raised his saber at the creature, the cracked kyber crystal caused the blade to crackle and hiss in its instability, ready to strike Sidious down. He hesitated, wanting to amuse himself. "What could _you_ give _me_?"

"Everything."

Kylo Ren was struck with a vision. Hundreds of star destroyers emerged from the darkness, awaiting command. He knew that these weren't ordinary ships-they were each equipped with powerful weapons that would crush the Resistance and force the entire galaxy into submission.

"A new Empire," Sidious revealed. "The might of the Final Order will soon be ready. It will be yours if you do as I ask."

Ren stepped back in shock, releasing the breath that he didn't know he had been holding. What a glorious prospect, indeed. True power and control was right at his fingertips.

"Kill the girl," the dark lord continued, "End the Jedi. And become what your grandfather, Vader, could not! You will rule all the galaxy as the new Emperor."

Ren's lips curved into a grin as he thought of how unstoppable he would become.

"But beware, she is not who you think she is," the Emperor warned.

Kylo raised his lightsaber until it was only inches from Palpatine's face.

"Who is she?" he demanded.

()()()()()

The hot water ran down his back, dripped from the strands of his black hair, and seemed to melt away the tension in his muscles. Kylo Ren leaned back against the wall of the refresher and closed his eyes, lips slightly parted and deep in thought.

_My granddaughter, _the words echoed in his mind. The Jedi-the little _scavenger girl_-was one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy. A Palpatine. Heir to the Empire and blood of Darth Sidious.

Ren slammed his palm into the duracrete wall in disdain. How could _she_ be the one to inherit such potential while he had wrought tirelessly, giving himself to the dark side, to get to this point? Was it all for nothing, and she would be the one to take what was rightfully his?

No, he wouldn't allow it. He _would_ kill her. He would prove himself to the Emperor as a worthy apprentice, then learn his secrets and finally betray him. He would be the new Emperor of the Final Order, establishing a rulership that could never be overturned.

These thoughts replayed in his mind throughout the night but sleep was quick to claim his exhausted body.

_The sun was scorching in his black attire. He raised a hand to his face in an attempt to shield it from the heat as he looked around for shade, noticing the torn canvas roofs of small stands and various objects strewn about._

_Niima Outpost._

_What in the blazes was he doing there?_

_"Nooooo!"_

_Ren turned quickly to see a large Crolute restraining a child. She wore bland, colorless clothes that matched the sand and her dark brown hair was tied into three knots from the top of her scalp to the nape of her neck._

_The scavenger._

_"Come back!" she screamed, pulling against the force of the tyrant. But she looked to be no more than five or six years old, and she was no match for the large hand that was wrapped around her arm as he dragged her away from the disappearing ship. He watched as her family became nothing more than a dot until it had vanished into absence._

_Only a few feet away, he observed as she was dragged to a small hut and forced to sit on a boulder nearby. Unkar Plutt didn't release his grip on her as he bent to speak to her._

_"Stay here and be quiet!" he snapped at her. Once he had decided that she wouldn't run, he let go of her to tend to the trading post. _

_Fresh tears began to fall as she looked to the ground. Ren could see the utter abandonment written on her features, and despite himself, he felt a sensation stirring within his chest. An invisible hand had reached inside of him and surfaced a glimpse of emotion. It felt as if a throbbing pain was spreading from his heart and into his arms. What was it? Sadness? Compassion?_

_He loathed it._

_It didn't take long for him to become numb once more, and he mentally reprimanded himself for his moment of weakness. Still, he couldn't take his eyes off of her._

_A loud thud! was heard as an Aqualish heaved a large chunk of metal onto the shelf of the trading post window. The little scavenger stared as they bartered. She noticed how Plutt seemed to be too preoccupied with the transaction to pay attention to her, and she wiped the strands of hair and tears from her face as she observed her surroundings._

_Without warning, she rose to her feet and sprinted to the nearest tent. She approached an elderly woman and begged for help. "I need to find my family!" she pleaded. The despair in her voice was gut-wrenching and Kylo found himself following her with his eyes without intention._

_The haggard face of the woman glanced briefly down at the girl but remain unchanged. She resumed her scrubbing of various metal pieces and ignored the girl._

_"Please!" she began to cry again, hopeless. _

_Rey was suddenly whipped around by one of Unkar's thugs-the very same Aqualish that she had seen moments before. He ripped her away from the tent and brought her back to her keeper. Plutt grunted in frustration and mumbled something about "not being worth the credits" as he forced her inside._

_Ren was curious. He followed the pair and what he saw incensed him._

_She had been chained to a loop on the outside of the building to prevent further escape, the cuff resting around her left ankle as she crouched in the sand. Her chin propped on her folded arms, she cried until her body could no longer produce tears._

_The heart within him fought to break free and the lump in his throat bobbed with choked emotion. He remembered when he had felt the same as a child; alone and abandoned. As if he had done something wrong, something to deserve this. And no one would help him._

_He watched her carefully to see if she would notice him, but she didn't. He lowered himself to one knee and stared at her. Soft freckles dusted the bridge of her nose and cheeks as the trails of salty liquid glided over them. Her hazel eyes stared helplessly into the horizon as whisps of hair touched her forehead, dancing in the wind. _

_The monster inside of him battled his weakness and emerged. If he was to be the leader of the New Order and replace Sidious as a powerful Sith Lord, then he would learn to suffocate any remaining spark of sentiment that he had left, beginning with the scavenger. Perhaps this was fate, delivering him an opportunity to kill his opponent before she could ever become a threat. If he killed her now, as a child, then she would never become a Jedi. He wasn't sure how, but he felt that this was his chance._

_His hand rose, hovering over her shoulder as if deciding if it should proceed. He waited for a response, something to tell him that he shouldn't make contact, but it never came. It was as if she couldn't see him. _

_The discovery hit him and out of curiosity, he lowered his fingers to find that they disappeared into her and he felt nothing as he grasped at air. He knew that she wasn't a hologram, but what was this? A memory? __**Her**__ memory?_

_Unkar emerged from the tattered fabric doorway with a cup and bowl in-hand. Whatever it was, it didn't look appetizing._

_"Eat," he nudged her shoulder with the offering. "You work for me, now."_

_She sniffled and wiped the remaining tears, ignoring the food. "But...what if they come back?" she asked._

_"They won't."_

Kylo sat upright and searched the darkness, his hands feeling the satin sheets of his bed as he realized what had happened. It was just a dream.

His hand instinctively rose to his cheek, where he felt a tear descending. He wiped it away with disgust.

He would need to find her and end this soon. He needed to be rid of this weakness.

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**A/N: Someone, anyone, please leave a review to help me keep up motivation. Help me, dear readers. You're my only hope!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you, bethrodrigues358 for the review. :)**

Ch. 5

_Young Ben Solo approached the table of kids with a look of curiosity in his dark brown eyes. He stood, holding his tray of food, and watched the game of pazaak with interest._

_"Can I play?" he asked innocently. He had never seen the game and it looked fascinating._

_The Rodian player looked around nervously at his friends, unsure of what to say. He held the cards in his hand and waited to finish his move. "Sorry, we don't have room."_

_Ben glanced at the empty space on the bench beside a Bith child in disappointment. There was clearly room, but he knew that he was unwanted. The group stifled their giggles and whispers as they waited to see what he would do. He felt the pain spread through his chest as they laughed at him and he willed the tears away that threatened to escape the corners of his eyes._

_"What a freak!"_

_Ben sat at an empty table alone and noticed the stares as he did so. He focused on eating his Kodari-Rice soup and pretended not to notice, but he could hear the nearby table continue their conversation._

_"I heard he can move things with his mind!" the Bith said. "He's like a sorcerer or something!" The kids glanced around at each other with a mixture of surprise and fear. "Didn't Darth Vader practice magic? What if he's related to him?"_

_"Related to the scariest man in the galaxy?" another gasped. A humanoid girl with violet-colored hair peeked around the Bith to get a better look at Ben, as if they could see the answer in his appearance._

_"Well, he is creepy enough," she replied._

_Ben released his spoon and wiped the tear that had trailed down his cheek, now finding that he had lost his appetite. He considered leaving the cafeteria early to read in the courtyard, but the idea of watching his classmates laugh and play together while he sat in a corner was unappealing. No matter where he went, he couldn't escape the fact that he was alone._

_"Oh, he's crying!"_

_"Shhh! What if he hears you? He might use his magic against you like Vader used to do to people!" the girl covered her mouth and her eyes widened._

_"Yeah, right!" the Rodian chuckled. "Look at him-he's a wimp! All he'll do is sit there and cry!"_

_Ben's head snapped up and he glared at the bully, his hands balling into fists on the table. He wanted more than anything to make them stop laughing. To just leave him alone. He covered his ears to drown out the noise, his brows furrowing as the temper inside of him threatened to burst. He felt an uncontrollable shaking in his body and he could almost swear that the spoon was trembling in the bowl in front of him._

_The kids around him noticed the clinking noise and drew their attention to his table, which was now shaking ever-so-slightly. Ben's eyes closed tightly and a look of pain crossed his features._

_The cup of blue milk on the Rodian's tray immediately exploded, eliciting the screams and gasps of the group as the mess covered them. Milk dripped off of the Rodian's chin as he slowly stood up, glaring daggers in Solo's direction._

_Ben's hands fell at his sides and he opened his eyes in shock. What had he done?_

_"Did you do this?!" _

_He stared up at the aqua-colored face that now towered over him, the fear of what had happened evident on his face. His brought his hands to his face and stared, turning them over, at his fingers. How was it possible?_

_"Answer me, Freak!" _

_Ben was grabbed by the collar to stand to his feet as the boy shook him violently. The Rodian let go of the fistfuls of fabric and shoved him backward. "You wanna fight me? Go ahead!" he challenged. "I've turned losers like you into bug squash!"_

_Ben looked around in despair at the group of kids that now circled them, crowding them and chanting for them to fight. He saw the look of amusement and laughs as the Rodian held his head high and dared him to act._

_His eyes searched the many faces, silently begging for someone to help him. He didn't want to fight. He only wanted to be left alone._

_"Bantha poodoo!"_

_He felt a sharp pain as he was punched, his head whipped back and he lost his footing. Collapsing to the hard floor, he wished that he could be someone else in that moment. Someone who had friends. Someone who wasn't picked on. Someone who wouldn't get angry._

_But he was angry._

_He felt the surge of energy rush through him, almost like an electrical current that ran to his fingertips. He felt the pressure well within him, begging for release. It consumed his every thought until all he could see was the scarlet hue of revenge in his vision. It seemed as if time moved in slow motion; the kids chanted and pointed, the Rodian looked down at him with a smirk and arms crossed in triumph. He slowly rose to his feet, staring up through the disheveled black hair in his face with hate._

_He shoved the air with his hand and the Rodian was hurled into a table, his head hitting the corner of the durasteel. The room went silent as the realization of what had happened fell as a morose cloud upon everyone. The bully was unconscious and Ben could see the small puddle of green liquid seeping from a wound in his head._

_"Did you know about this all along?" Han asked through gritted teeth. _

_Ben sat in silent contemplation on the stairway to the second level, overhearing the argument in the other room as the voices of his parents carried throughout the corridor._

_"He couldn't control it," Leia pleaded for her husband to see reason. "It's not like he did it on purpose! They hurt him-"_

_"But you knew that he could use the Force?" this time his voice was furious._

_Ben's face wrinkled in confusion. The Force? Is that what his powers were called?_

_Leia sighed. "I could feel the connection before he was born."_

_Ben was shocked. His mother had known all along and hadn't said anything? She knew what he was going through and hadn't warned him? The familiar feeling of betrayal rose in his throat, but he let out a shaky sigh and hoped that it would disappear. The last thing he needed to do was make more of a mess than he was already in._

_He heard the silence as his father paced back and forth."And you didn't tell me?"_

_"I thought you wouldn't understand," she explained. "And I was right; you don't understand!"_

_"Of course I don't understand! I don't understand how our son has put someone in a coma and you seem to think it's okay!" he fumed._

_If Han could see his son's face, he would have seen the utter shame and horror he felt. Ben's vision glazed over as the tears returned. He didn't know if the Rodian would survive, and it was all his fault. He might have just murdered someone at only ten years old. _

_His father probably thought him a monster._

_"I already told you that he didn't know what he was doing! He doesn't know how to control it and he was angry!" Leia shouted. At least one person in the galaxy didn't hate his guts._

_"I seem to recall a certain someone else with this problem, and look at where it got them," Han replied in a hushed tone. He thought about Leia's father and seeing the same pattern in his son frightened him. "Isn't this important information that a father should know about right away?"_

_"If you want to be his father then maybe you should stick around more often!"_

_Han was silent and Leia knew that she had hurt him. Ben closed his eyes and cradled his head in his hands, praying that they would stop shouting. The headache he now had from crying threatened to split his skull open. Why couldn't they just get along for more than one day?_

_"Aw, that's real classic coming from you! You're always in senatorial meetings and galactic debates; too busy for anything else!" Han jeered. He slammed drawers shut as he searched for something._

_"At least I'm here every night!" Leia countered._

_"You may be here in the physical sense, but your mind is always elsewhere!"_

_The argument was cut short as Han grabbed his belongings and stormed out into the hallway. He stopped abruptly when he saw Ben._

_"Hey, kid," he mumbled as he made his way to the front door. "You listen to your mother. And we'll talk about this when I get back."_

_Ben rolled his eyes as he watched his father leave. He knew that Han would be gone for another smuggling job and wouldn't return any time soon._

_Leia stood in the doorway of the dining room, arms folded across her chest as she sighed in frustration. She made her way over to her son and sat beside him on the stairs._

_"Am I a freak?" Ben asked, barely above a whisper. He searched her face for any sign of disgust or fear, but instead she smiled sadly at him and tucked a stray hair behind his ear. Her long brown hair was braided neatly on top of her head and she still wore the high-collared navy blue dress from the Galactic Senate meeting earlier that day._

_"Honey," she reached over and touched his cheek as she thought of what to say._

_The impatient beeping of her holocam drifted into the hallway and interrupted her thoughts, reminding Ben that she had more important matters to tend to. She tried to ignore the sound, but he could see the inner conflict of whether or not she should stay. She decided to stand and muttered apologies, promising to resume the conversation later._

_"I'm sorry, Ben. It's the Chancellor and I have to take this."_

_He watched her leave him. "Of course you do," he mumbled angrily under his breath._

_That night, he didn't see his mom again. She was too busy discussing policies well into the night to come back for him, and he locked himself in his room. He wished that he could lock himself away from the world, as well._

Rey's eyes fluttered open as they adjusted to the darkness of her bedroom. It was another dream.

As she dressed, ate, and prepared for the day, she couldn't help but feel that it was more than that, however. Something deep inside of her told her that she was seeing Kylo's memories. But why?

She grew irritated. Hadn't she designed a mental barrier to keep him out of her head? She didn't want to dream about him. It made him seem almost..._human_ to her. Even as she studied a book that afternoon, she couldn't keep her mind off of him. How her heart ached to see young Ben, alone and misunderstood. How she wished that she could have spared him his pain.

She had to remind herself that no matter what he had been through, even if he had suffered unjustly, it could not excuse his behavior. After all, hadn't she been through similar experiences but never succumbed to the dark side? He could have been better. He could have chosen to be better.

No matter how absent Han Solo had been in his son's life, he still hadn't deserved death. Only a monster would kill his own flesh and blood.

She was angry as she remembered the cruel fate that Han had suffered. She was angry at the thought of having to share Ben's memories each night, because it meant that he wasn't completely out of her head.

But most of all, she was angry that she understood exactly how he felt almost all of his life.


	6. Chapter 6

**I** **apologize for how short this chapter is but I have been so busy lately that I struggled with this one. I'll just have to go back later to add more. In the meantime, reviews would greatly help. :)**

Ch. 6

_Ren growled in resentment as he felt the sandy floor beneath him materialize from seemingly nowhere. The familiar, burning heat hit his face as the sun was relentless on his ivory skin. He was instantly reminded of how much he hated the desert._

_But also because it meant that he was dreaming of her._

_He gauged his surroundings, hoping to find an exit, but all he could see was a sea of desert. The remains of a large ship interrupted the neverending waves of sand, and he couldn't shake the feeling that this was another memory of hers._

_Then he saw a custom rust-colored speeder hovering in the distance. He didn't have to see its owner to know who it belonged to._

_Why, of all people and things, did he have to dream about her?_

_He lifted his head toward the sky and squinted in the glaring sunlight. Would there be no end to things that tested his patience and fueled his animosity for the scavenger? He closed his eyes and focused, hoping that he could wake himself up. But it wouldn't come. He even slapped himself, but he was still stuck on Jakku. Only now, his face stung._

_Twelve-year-old Rey emerged from the ship covered in cloth from head to toe. Her headwrap parted for her goggles, long wraps covered her arms, and various tabbards came together at her belt as she pulled a sled of forraged parts behind her. She paused and removed her goggles to better see where she was going._

_A loud noise filled Ren's ears as he saw another speeder approaching. Rey noticed her guest and broke out into a spring, frantic to get away quickly but she was dragged down by the weight of her conquest. She grunted as she struggled with the load, but it was too late; a male Twi'lek swung himself off of his speeder and watched her carefully. He approached her with a blaster in hand and she froze._

_Ren didn't speak the dialect, but he knew what was happening. He could hear the anger and defeat in her voice as she released the net that held her yield and raised her hands, showing her surrender. She watched helplessly as the thief grabbed her day's work and claimed it for himself. He kept the weapon pointed at her even as he walked backwards toward his escape with bounty in hand._

_He briefly turned around to tie the goods to his speeder, and she took the opportunity to attack him. She jumped onto his back and wrapped her arms around his neck, and while it had taken him by surprise, he had proven to be stronger than her. He threw her off of him and she gasped in pain when she hit the ground hard. Before she could rise to her feet, he punched her in the face. She screamed in pain and tried to shield her head, but his attack didn't relent. He hit and kicked her until blood stained the cream-colored rags that she wore._

_She could only lay on the ground and moan in pain, drifting in and out of consciousness when he had finally left. Kylo slowly walked over to her crumpled form, curious to observe her closer. A blackened eye was appearing, her cheek was swollen and slowly transformed into a dark bruise, and her nose and lip bled._

_She buried her face in her palms and cried. He felt her thoughts as she realized that she would have to go hungry for a few days. The Twi'lek had taken her earnings to survive and she would need to force herself through the pain to scavene elsewhere to make up for it. Her life depended on it._

_Ren had wanted her dead more than anyone. He had often imagined seeing her bruised and broken and watching the blood spill from her as he took her life. But as he watched the broken mess of the young girl before him, he was disgusted despite himself. The thought that anyone could do such a thing to a child twisted his stomach in repulsion._

_The scene before him changed and he suddenly found himself beside a wrecked AT-AT. Still in the desert, he surmised that he hadn't left Jakku. His fears were confirmed when he recognized Rey's speeder beside the overturned walker._

_A grunting noise caught his attention and he turned to see Rey practicing fighting techniques. She thrust her makeshift staff in various directions as she spun her body and kicked the air. Her bruises and wounds had long healed and the determination seemed to ripple off of her. He could feel her thoughts; she would never let herself be vulnerable again. She would become the most feared and respected scavenger on Jakku._

Ren glanced up from the Sith texts and grunted in frustration as his thoughts were distracted. He wished that he could evade sleep, of dreaming of her, but now she dwelled in his thoughts in his waking moments as well? He closed his eyes and tightened his fists, feeling the cave shake around him. A few loosened rocks fell, reminding him not to destroy his place of meditation. He opened his eyes and conceded.

Then, a thought occurred to him-if seeing her memories at night was becoming a habit, then maybe her guard had weakened. Maybe this was his chance to strike.

He imagined her in his mind; her soft brown hair cascading down her shoulders, the freckles that dusted her cheeks, and her hazel depths peering into his. He searched for her in the Force, feeling for any sign of her presence, willing the bond to open. He could feel her signature, but it was muted. Shielded by an unknown protection, he still couldn't penetrate her defenses.

He poured his anger into his training that day, frustrated that he seemed unable to control the situation. How could a scavenger girl have bested him?

He would not hesitate to take his revenge the next time he saw her.

()()()()()

_Ren was surprised when he wasn't met with the all-too-familiar desert of his enemy's home planet. Instead, he recognized the navy velvet chairs and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves of his childhood home. Not far from him, his younger self yelled at Han Solo._

_He remembered the argument well._

_He was certainly relieved not to see the girl's memories for once, but it was almost worst to see his own. He instinctively tensed as he watched the argument before him, but his mind was instantly called elsewhere. He could feel a pair of eyes focused on him, studying him intently. They were eyes that didn't belong there. He turned around slowly to see the Jedi girl; the shock was written on her features. _

_He knew that she was truly there with him. And there would be no escape._


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you, ReyloAlways, for making my day with your review! If anyone else would like to bring me joy, please let me know what you think!**

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Ch. 7

The forest was alive with life. Various noises gave evidence of the birds among the treetops and insects burrowing in the dirt, and Rey felt wrapped in an invisible serenity. She could feel the warm sun streaming through the trees, weaving among the leaves until it touched her face.

Her thoughts wandered to the previous night and she could still see young Ben in her mind. She frowned when she thought of the loneliness that he had endured, much like her own. She understood what it was like to not feel good enough, to feel as if even her own parents couldn't love or want her. She had lived most of her life thinking that no one understood.

But he could.

She wondered what would have happened if someone had been there for him. Would he still have turned to the dark side, or would he have found solace in a friend-a soul to share his grief with?

"What's troubling you?" the faint outline of Skywalker appeared beside her.

Her eyes fluttered open and she slowly, carefully, lowered herself to the ground. She knew that she couldn't hide the fact that she was still distracted with disturbing thoughts from her Master, and she sighed in disappointment as she tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear.

"I've been having these dreams...memories at night," she replied. She hoped that he wouldn't pry for details, as she was embarrassed to admit to anyone who they were about. She didn't want him to pass judgement on her. She was determined to conquer her mind and finish her training; she wouldn't fail him as Kylo did.

"About Kylo Ren?"

She bit her lip and looked to the ground in shame, nodding her head. It was irritating that they always seemed to be connected, even when she didn't want it. She hoped that this connection wouldn't reflect badly on her character, because she didn't share similiarities with that evil man.

But her childhood certainly had shared similiarities with him.

Luke remained calm and rubbed his beard in contemplation. "It's not surprising that you are connected in dreams through the dyad. Has he been able to contact you?"

"No," she shook her head quickly, eager to assure him that there was no threat. "I've felt him try at times, but he hasn't been able to."

"Good," he replied. "You should keep it that way."

Rey looked to the setting sun, dreading what would come in only a few hours. No matter how exhausted her body was, no matter how fatigued her mind grew, she was anxious at the thought of sleep. She wished that she would never need to sleep again, to never dream of him again.

"What are these dreams about?" Skywalker asked.

She suddenly found herself tired as the day's activities caught up to her muscles. She rubbed her aching temples and thought of how to respond.

"You look tired," Luke noted gently. He gestured to a fallen log, "Sit."

Once she had relieved her legs from her weight, she propped her elbows on her thighs and rested her chin on her knuckles. "They're more than just dreams-they're his memories. From his childhood. I saw how he felt as his parents were too preoccupied to spend much time with him."

"Leia had important duties to attend to and Han...well, he's Han," Luke defended.

Rey smiled weakly. "I know. I don't blame them for Ben turning. It's just...I can see why he felt abandoned and unworthy. I often felt the same. It's a dark place to feel unwanted by the people who gave you life," her gaze was distant as she thought of her own pain.

"So you pity him?" he asked, brows raised. He was certainly not expecting anyone to pity the most feared man in the galaxy who had committed terrible deeds.

"No, not pity," she stated. "Compassion, only in knowing what it was like to suffer in a similar way. But that doesn't change how I feel about him now. He is a monster for what he did to Han, what he's done to the galaxy, and I will never forget that."

Luke nodded, remaining silent.

Suddenly, Rey feared that she had displeased him. Were her feelings just a weakness that could be used against her, or was a Jedi even allowed to have such feelings?

"Is it wrong of me to feel this way?"

"Compassion is one of the many qualities of the Jedi. One cannot use the light side of the Force if they are not selfless, and the Jedi sought to protect others because of their compassion and mercy," Luke explained.

Rey sighed a breath of relief. If he had told her that she had to rid herself of such feelings, then she would have found it immensely difficult. Especially since she was fairly certain that she would be sharing more of Kylo's memories for nights to come.

"I saw what happened to his classmate before he was sent to train with you. It wasn't entirely his fault. Those kids were hurting him-"

"Careful, Rey," Luke's hand shot up to stop her. "Rationalizing revenge is a trait of the dark side. No matter what a person has to endure, you should never wish to avenge yourself."

Rey's hand shot down to the ground and fidgeted with a small stone. "I know, I only meant that he didn't know how to control his power, let alone what it was. If only there had been someone to explain it to him, perhaps...perhaps he wouldn't have turned to the dark side."

"Wishing that things were different has never rewritten the past. You must focus on what is to happen from now and in the future," he said.

She nodded in acknowledgement, though she couldn't shake the thought that maybe he would have been different if only he had had a friend.

()()()()

_Rey found herself in the familiar narrow hallway of the Solo-Organa residence and she could hear Han's deep voice reverberating off of the walls in anger in another room._

_"You know how dangerous smuggling is; I can't be here all the time in case they're looking for me-"_

_"Spare me the excuses, Dad!" Ben spat the last word, his voice dripping with sarcasm at the name. "You try to think up some elaborate reason for your absence to hide the fact that you're a kriffing horrible parent!"_

_Rey slowly inched her way closer to the open door, as if any sudden sound would alert them of her presence. But she knew that they were unaware that she was watching._

_"Hey, watch the language!" Solo warned._

_"I'm not a kid anymore, if you haven't noticed!" Ben continued. "You forced me to grow up earlier than I should because you're always gone and someone has to be the man of the house!"_

_Rey couldn't see the two of them, but she guessed that Ben was still ten years old since he had yet to be sent to Luke. Her own memories stirred within her as she was reminded of how she had to fend for herself as a child and become an adult at an early age._

_"That's not the point, Ben!"_

_"I know-the point is that you're sending me away because you don't want me anymore!"_

_A glimpse of blue furniture peered through the doorway as she drew closer. Her eye also caught something...black? Or rather, someone clothed in black. Perhaps Leia had been watching the heated argument transpire, but Rey found it hard to believe that the strongly-opinionated mother and wife wouldn't have voiced her own thoughts by now._

_No, this was someone else. She could feel the light-colored hair on her arms seems to stand on-end and the electricity run down her spine with a shudder. She could feel the darkness surrounding him before he even came into view, and her eyes widened. It was too late to turn back now; she now stood in the doorway and something inside of her told her that he could sense her presence. His long black hair shone in the light as his towering figure had been watching his memory play out before him._

_She knew that he would be in a terrible, furious mood. And he would want to kill her. Her heart nearly lept from her chest as the realization of the situation hit her; she was no longer safe, no longer protected. He had found his way back to her._

_She watched his frame straighten and become rigid as his leathered hands tensed and jaw clenched. She could imagine the animosity he now held for her as she had been caught observing his weakest moments of his memories. She had invaded his privacy, even if she had had no control over it. He would see it as a violation that couldn't be forgiven._

_Despite her better judgement, a part of her was afraid. She had never expected to see him as his present self in her dreams, and she wondered if it was truly him. How could he have gotten past her mental barriers?_

_"You!" he hissed under his breath as he spun around. The rage filled his dark eyes and threatened to burn a hole through her. In mere seconds, he had called his lightsaber to his hand and ignited it._

_Rey found her feet carrying her out of the door before she could process thought. She felt the dread form in her chest as she was now vulnerable. All of her training the past few weeks had been for nothing. She scrambled to the front door, hoping for a way out. There had to be some way to escape this nightmare._

_She could hear Kylo's footsteps as he followed her...or was that her beating heart as loud as drums in her ears? She wasn't sure, and she didn't want to find out. In a panic, she threw open the door and ran, but her feet seemed to run out of solid ground beneath them. She was in a freefall, a blurred frenzy of descent and she reached out in blindness to stop the impact, but it was too late. Her body collided with the hard sand dune below._

_She stood up quickly and brushed the grains of sand off of her clothes, glancing around to see that she was now on Jakku. She watched, puzzled, as Kylo landed on his feet gracefully._

_"I didn't think a Jedi could be such a coward!" he spat, poised to spring an attack. "But then again, Skywalker always was!"_

_He charged at her, raising his blade. WIthout thought, she flicked her own to life and blocked his strike above her. He pushed harder and harder, their sabers crossed inches from her face. With as much strength that she could muster, she pushed away from him and landed on her heels clumsily. The frustration immediately bubbled forth in her mind as she mentally chastised herself for being caught off-guard._

_Get it together, Rey, she thought to herself. Focus!_

_Kylo noticed her delayed reflexes and delighted in her confusion, a large smile sweeping across his face. He stepped closer, his cloak flowing behind him in the wind and the crimson blade dancing as streaks of red in his dark brown eyes. This was his chance to finally kill her. He would not fail this time._

_Rey swung her blade at his head, but he ducked. He parried her low attack towards his legs and countered with a spinning offensive, which she reacted to with difficulty. The loud crackling of their lightsabers filled the desert air as they desperately attempted to find the other's weakness. Rey swung her saber back and forth on both sides of her, spinning it quickly to take him by surprised, but he had calculated her moves. She spun the blade above her head and charged at him, but he was too quick for her._

_In a matter of seconds, he had severed the hilt of her saber, barely missing her hands as the piece flew to the ground and the blade disappeared. Rey's eyes widened in fear as she was left defenseless and she stumbled backward. She looked around at her surroundings in despair, hoping that an idea would come to mind to save her. But there was no one and nothing else among the sandy sea besides the two of them. She could only hope that this dream was a sort of illusion that wouldn't allow him to hurt her._

_She felt a searing pain in her chest and she looked down in horror to see his red blade piercing her body. He twisted it with a dark grin and she cried out in agony, wishing for it to be over. _

_This can't be real, she thought in panic. I can't die._

_Burning flesh filled her nostrils as he pulled it out, revealing the gaping hole in her flesh. Rey clutched at the wound and fell to the ground, feeling a sudden weakness take over. Her breathing grew heavy and exhausting as she laid on her back and focused her gaze on the bright blue sky. That same sky had long been her companion for most of her life; the very same sky that she used to stare at and hope that her parents would return. The one that seemed to call to her, promising her of a destiny among the stars, somewhere else in the galaxy. It was only fitting that she would die beneath it._

_She watched the clouds float by slowly before closing her eyes, accepting her end as the last breath escaped her lips._


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you, ReyloAlways! **

**Not many people realize just how much reviews make a difference. It's like payment to an Author, since this is free for everyone to read and helps me get through the times it's difficult to write. Please leave even just a word to let me know you're out there. :)**

**And I apologize for the times when some phrases are only separated by "-". It was written as "-xxxx-" but the format didn't translate well during uploading. I'll go back and fix things later.  
**

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Ch 8

Rey was startled awake, panting heavily to catch her breath as she felt her surroundings. Her fingers roamed over her torso as she searched for any signs of the lightsaber wound but instead found the soft material of her night clothes and skin intact. The shock of what had happened made her stomach curdle with adrenaline and anxiety until she nearly vomited. She focused on breathing deeply and reassured herself that it had only been a nightmare.

After she had calmed herself, she found that she was no longer tired. If all that welcomed her when she shut her eyes and drifted into slumber was her murderous enemy and pain that followed from him attempting to kill her then she didn't want to go back to sleep.

Tying a robe over her light blue tunic and pants, she decided to go for a walk in the compound. She felt that maybe some fresh air would help to clear her head.

Rey wandered the halls, careful to be quiet so that she wouldn't wake others. Only a handful of people were up-those who kept guard throughout the night in case there was an attack, or those who couldn't sleep. She wished, more than anything, that Finn was back from their mission so that she'd have someone to talk to. She could really use a listening ear.

She made her way to what used to be a courtyard; an inactive water fountain sat unused and dry. She sat on a bench and felt the cool breeze touch her skin as she hugged the robe tightly to her body. Glancing up at the night sky, she appreciated the stars that dusted the darkness. Even in the blackness there was still light burning brightly.

How she wished that could also be true of Kylo Ren.

"Mind if I sit with you?" a shy, feminine voice asked. Rey almost didn't hear it because it was so soft.

She turned to see Rose Tico's short frame waiting for a response. Her dark eyes held a friendliness that matched her smile. She also wore the generic, plain clothes that had been issued throughout the base but had chosen a lilac-colored coat to layer on top. Her bangs, which had long grown out, were pulled back with the rest of her black hair in a messy bun.

"Of course," Rey smiled, grateful for the company.

While she didn't know Rose personally, she had heard a lot about her and knew that she was a very valuable asset to the Resistance. Her motivation and resilient attitude had often helped many who would have otherwise lost hope. She was also very organizational in assisting with Rebel plans and had an affinity to fixing things that had broken down-a quality that Rey especially admired, since she herself had always enjoyed tinkering.

"Can't sleep?" she asked. "Of course you can't sleep," she quickly corrected herself, embarrassed. "If you could then you wouldn't be out here." She rubbed her thighs with her palms nervously.

Rey gave a reassuring smile to put her at ease. "Bad dream."

"I get those," Rose breathed a sigh and stared off into the distance. "Mostly about my sister, Paige. She died a few years ago."

Rey's brows furrowed and she frowned. "I'm so sorry. What happened?" she asked. Then, realizing her mistake, she quickly added, "I don't mean to pry, if you don't want to tell me."

Rose gave a weak smile and explained the sacrifice that her sister had made for the cause, going into detail about how Paige had always been a fighter. She could never stand by and watch injustice, and Rose had always wanted to be just like her.

"She was a hero," Rey replied. She instinctively placed her hand on Rose's in an attempt to comfort her.

"She was," Rose agreed, her gaze in the distance suggesting that her thoughts were far off. She turned suddenly and looked at Rey, as if she had been reminded of reality. "So what was your dream about?"

Rey was at a loss for words. She hardly knew this woman and wasn't sure if she should tell her, let alone anyone, of what had happened. It was difficult to think of admitting the details even to Master Skywalker, and she couldn't even imagine telling Finn. If he knew of her connection with the Supreme Leader then he would become irrational with concern for her.

Perhaps she could tell Rose the general gist without revealing his identity or the Force connection? After all, no one besides Luke and Leia knew of the dyad. She was determined to keep it that way, afraid that anyone who found out would judge her based on Kylo's actions.

But Rey had found herself very frustrated lately and forced to bottle it up without many people to talk to. Maybe a neutral third party would prove to be a convenient outlet, and she knew that Rose was trustworthy after she heard of how she saved Finn's life.

"Have you ever hated someone but then you found out something about them that made them seem almost..._human_ to you? So now you can't completely loathe their guts no matter how hard you try? And now that one fact haunts you, constantly reminding you of this?" Rey asked.

"Is a Jedi allowed to hate?"

The question was innocent, but it made Rey's shoulders drop and the guilt take hold in her mind. She could imagine Master Skywalker reprimanding her for having such strong feelings, and it ashamed her. "No, not really. I have a lot to work on, don't I?"

"I'm sure being a Jedi is really hard," Rose replied. "For what it's worth, I think you're doing great."

The kind words did little to reassure Rey. For so many months she had felt like a failure, unable to live up to the expectations of her Master, of the Resistance, and of a Jedi. She often worried that maybe she couldn't defeat Kylo Ren and her training was all in vain. Maybe it was a mistake for the galaxy to rely on her.

It was as if Rose had read her mind. "Don't worry; you're only human. You have the weight of the galaxy on your shoulders, and it says a lot about your character that you're facing that responsibility and not giving up."

Rey nodded silently. She had forgotten how good it felt to be appreciated, and she missed the times when Finn could bring her out of her depressing thoughts. She knew that Rose was right-that to be human was to struggle-but it still bothered her that she couldn't seem to exercise the same self-control and discipline that the Jedi before her had. She wondered if she would even have made it through the Jedi Academies that used to exist with the way that she had felt lately. Surely she would've failed the test to be knighted by now.

"If this person has a quality that makes you unable to fully hate them like you once did, then that's good, right? Doesn't that mean that there's something good in them that can redeem them for whatever they did?" she suggested.

Rey had a feeling that if Rose knew who she was speaking of, she wouldn't suggest such an optimistic and open-minded viewpoint. "This person has done terrible things. Do you still believe in redemption if most of a person's life has proven otherwise?" she countered.

"Well, have they always been that way?" Rose asked.

"No, not always," Rey bit her lip, again reminded of how caring Kylo once was.

"If this person hasn't always been terrible then there's hope. Something obviously changed them into who they are now. If you said you've seen something recently that changes your viewpoint, then why not believe that it's not too late?"

"There are some things that can't be forgiven," Rey said, recalling the all-too-familiar memory of her friend, murdered.

"Luke has always told us what happened with Darth Vader when the Emperor was defeated, reminding us not to lose hope. Even after everything he did with the dark side, to the galaxy, he still chose the light. It was still inside of him," she said.

Rey nodded solemnly. She knew well of Vader's redemption but still had a hard time applying the hope to Kylo Ren.

The two stared up at the night sky and shared a comfortable silence, as if they had been friends all of their lives and understood each other.

()()()()()()

"I heard you've been having unusual dreams lately," Leia stated. She had been overseeing Rey's training on the course as she often did as of late.

Rey was surprised by the topic and a blush crept to her cheeks that showed her embarassment. She hoped that General Organa hadn't somehow figured out the extent of these dreams.

"You've been seeing my son's memories?"

"Yes, but only a few," Rey replied. She didn't want to admit her recent encounter, especially since Master Skywalker didn't even know about it. She had weighed the decision not to tell him for many days until she had exhausted her options when it came to learning about Force dyads. Not much information could be found about it even in the Jedi texts, let alone the connection that she and Kylo shared and the fact that they had been materializing in each other's dreams. The truth was that not much was known and she would have to figure it out herself.

"What are your thoughts on his childhood?" Leia asked, curious.

Rey was afraid to say something that would upset her, and besides; she had no right to criticize the way that Ben had been raised, and so she settled on a vague truth. "I think that he felt very alone," she replied.

Rey could thoroughly understand why he had felt that way, though she wouldn't admit it to Leia. She didn't want to make her feel bad for her absence in her son's life, after all; she couldn't imagine the tiresome obligations that had kept the General busy most of her life. There was nothing else to be done except to try to save the galaxy. How could anyone be able to do that without making sacrifices?

"Do you think it was our fault that he felt that way?"

Rey nearly held her breath, wishing that the question hadn't been asked. She could see the frown that marked the General's face, and she wished to alleviate her pain.

"It's not your fault that he turned to the dark side, if that's what you're asking," Rey was quick to say. "I can see why he felt the way he did, but I think that he would have felt it regardless of how things were at home. Even if his family life had been perfect, that wouldn't have solved the problem of not having friends or prevented him from being bullied in school. He still didn't know what the Force was or where his place in it was."

Leia was surprised by the admittance that someone else could show compassion for her son, even if it was only for the person that he used to be. "You don't think that he wouldn't have suffered as much if we had been better parents?"

"With all due respect, General Organa, you can't think that absent parents justifies the killing of his..." Rey's voice trailed off, hesitant to bring up the conversation of Organa's ex-husband.

"Your thoughts dwell on Han," she stated.

Rey was grateful that Leia could read her emotions and wondered how powerful of a Jedi she would've been had she completed her training with her brother years ago. If Ben had never turned, there would have been many things that would be different now. If only he hadn't been so selfish!

"You think what Ben did was unforgiveable," she added.

The young girl nodded, the tears welling in her eyes as she swallowed them back down. "I just don't understand how he could do it," she said.

Leia nodded in acknowledgement, accustomed to hearing this same opinion from others. She had even wondered this, herself.

"I've often found myself regetting a lot of things in my life; not making things work with Han, letting our relationship fall apart...was one of the biggest. When he died, it still hurt me as if we had never parted ways. I still loved him. That love should have been enough for us to stay together. To be there for Ben," Leia admitted with a sadness in her eyes that Rey hadn't seen before.

"I'm sure it was very difficult for you," she attempted to ease Organa's thoughts.

"Our marriage was always difficult, but not as difficult as putting politics and duty before my family. I thought that I could live a balanced life, treading carefully on the line of both professional and personal duties. But in the end, I lost both. An evil now rules the galaxy and my son is that evil."

Rey placed her hands on her hips and looked at the ground, unsure of what to say. She knew that both the Rebellion and Resistance would have been lost without their fearless leader, but she also mourned the pain that she had witnessed of Leia's broken family.

"But one thing you must realize, Rey, is just how much influence Snoke had on my son. I know that Ben was never evil. I could feel a darkness begin to take hold of him and manipulate him before he was even born. I felt it abuse him even inside of me. Snoke took my sweet boy and turned him into someone unrecognizable," she explained.

Rey had never dwelled on the entity known as Snoke. She knew that Kylo had once served him but never gave thought to the fact that he had been with him all of his life. Still, the blame couldn't be shifted elsewhere.

"But Ben could have chosen not to listen. He still could have chosen not to fall," Rey retorted. She could find no excuse for Ben to have given up, because even in all of her pain and suffering she would never fall to the dark side.

"You don't understand the extent of Snoke's deception," Leia said. "He was inside of Ben's mind, pretending to be the only support he had in order to gain his trust so that he could feed him lies. The dark side is easier to follow than the light for anyone, even without a parasite controlling them. I can't imagine how much strength it took for him to resist as many years as he did."

Rey was stunned. She had never taken into consideration just how much power Kylo's former Master had had over him, and she felt the pang of guilt for having judged his character so harshly. She had shared the same feelings in her childhood as he, but she didn't have to deal with a voice in her head or the fear of its displeasure.

Her regret, however, was immediately replaced with her former feelings of contempt for his actions. Snoke was now dead and Kylo hadn't changed for the better. If anything, his greed and lust for power had only increased. He was now acting of his own volition.

"I only sent him to Luke because I was desperate," Organa continued. "I couldn't watch him go down the path that I had foreseen."

Rey remembered Luke telling her of what his sister had seen and how the premonition had caused her to stop training. She couldn't bear to be the Jedi to defeat her own son.

"I didn't tell Han about Ben's Force sensitivity or the malevolent person planting ideas in his mind, because I thought that he would get better. I was hoping that it wasn't too late and Luke could still save him."

Rey could understand both perspectives. She could see that Leia had been a concerned parent who had seen the darkness in her son and wanted to save him by sending him to train as a Jedi. But she could also understand why Ben felt abandoned, as if his parents had given him up and hadn't cared if they ever saw him again.

"There's still nothing you could say that would make me believe it was your fault," she reassured the General.

Leia didn't smile as her gaze drifted into the sunset. "I only wish he felt the same."

()()()()

A week of silence had led Kylo Ren to believe that the scavenger was gone; the nights consisted of deep, dreamless sleep. He would often ponder her existence in the mornings, wondering if the lack of her memories could truly mean that she was dead.

He should have been ecstatic-elated, even!-that his enemy was now gone. But a small guilt tugged at the corners of his mind, and it was a sentiment that he was certain wouldn't have formed had he never had a glimpse of her childhood. Seeing the parentless girl who felt the loneliest in all of the galaxy had awakened feelings in him that he didn't think possible. Finally, someone who could have understood his pain!

It was a pity that she happened to be his nemesis. It was is if fate was playing a cruel trick on him by showing him what he could never have.

He should have been relieved that these sentiments would soon fade with the source gone. He would no longer be reminded of his humanity or struggle within himself. But he wasn't relieved, instead, he was conflicted much the same as he was with his father.

He had once made the mistake of thinking that, by killing Han, he could rid himself of the emotions that drew him to the light. He could finally become the cold, relentless Sith that he had imagined himself to be. But killing the man had only caused his internal conflict to grow. He wondered, for a brief moment, if this would prove to be the same with the scavenger. Would he regret it, even if in the slightest?

He pushed the thoughts from his mind, deciding that this time was different. He hardly knew her and didn't have the same attachment that he had to his father. Killing her was the only option.

With these convictions, his consciousness drifted off into slumber.

_Ren found himself standing inside of a decomissioned and broken down AT-AT, specifically, the main compartment. He saw the girl curled up in a hammock, her body racked with sobs as he noticed the back of her shivering frame._

_He clenched his jaw and gritted his teeth. If he was seeing her memory then that meant she was alive, much to his displeasure._

_His sight caught a bright hue of colors over her shoulder as she watched a holofilm. He recognized it to be a common fiction about a Twi'lek orphan who had found a family to adopt her._

_He visibly rolled his eyes. _

_If the Force was somehow attempting to turn him into a compassionate man, to feel sorry for the pitiful creature before him, then it would fail. There was nothing on his mind besides finding a way to make her death a certainty and hoping that her present form would materialize to do so._

_Still, he couldn't escape the dream and was forced to watch as the little scavenger clutched a doll closer to her chest, stroking its hair. "Don't worry; my family will come back for me," she whispered. Had he been forced to watch any longer, he might have formed a tiny shred of emotion at the sight, and he was relieved when an interruption had presented itself._

_The Jedi had appeared._

_It was then that he noticed his lightsaber was missing. He cursed under his breath; this could render him vulnerable and give her an opportunity for revenge. He would have to use his strength and height to his advantage._

_He quickly spun around and slammed her harshly againt the wall. She winced from the pain of the contact and he took the time to notice that she was also without weapon. He smiled darkly; he would surely win in a physical match against her._

_"Can you not attack me for five seconds, or is it impossible to have a conversation with you anymore?" she grunted in-between her struggles to get free._

_He ignored her as he wrapped his fingers around her throat and applied a firm pressure until she was unable to speak. She clawed at his hands for mercy as her face began to change shades from the lack of air. He could see that her lips were trying to move, to form words, but couldn't._

_Let me go!_

_Her voice was loud in his mind even though her mouth had never parted. The shock was written across his features as he realized what had transpired, but he didn't release his grip. She was nearly unconscious and desperate to break free._

_Suddenly, a loud and painful noise pierced his thoughts, similar to sharp claws scraping on metal. He instinctively released her and clutched his aching head, willing it to stop. Rey fell to the floor and coughed as her lungs began to fill with air again and the noise came to a halt._

_He eyed her dangerously as the realization that she could communicate telepathically hit him. Perhaps he wouldn't have the upper hand, after all. If she could cripple him with his own mind then how would he stand a chance? His anger threatened to explode, a temper that would have taken victims in its wake had this been reality._

_This time, he didn't need physical contact to choke her. He saw the result of what he wanted clearly in his mind and an invisible force carried it out. He ignored her pleas in his head, pushing further into the violence. She attempted the mental attack on him again, but after only a few seconds he had learned how to reflect it back._

_You already know that you can't kill me here! she attempted to reason._

_Yes, much to his dismay, he knew that he couldn't actually kill her. Whatever this was, it was an illusion. One that was bittersweet but he savored it nonetheless._

_Then I'll enjoy the simulation of it until I can accomplish the task in-person, he thought wickedly to himself. His thoughts projected into hers and her eyes widened. _

_Ren tightened the force choke a little more and a pressure increased in his chest. It felt as if something heavy was crushing his lungs and he inhaled a shaky breath. He felt his throat close and his neck tighten. Rey lost consciousness and the room began to spin before he was plummeted into a black abyss._


End file.
